« | Exodus 37 | » |
1 And Besaleel made the arke of Sittim wood: two cubites & a halfe long, & a cubite and a halfe brode, and a cubite and a halfe hygh.
2 And ouerlaide it with fine golde within & without, and made a crowne of golde to it rounde about.
3 And cast for it foure rynges of golde for the foure corners of it: two rynges for the one syde, and two for the other.
4 And made barres of Sittim wood, and couered them with golde.
5 And put the barres in the rynges, along by the side of the arke, to beare the arke withall.
6 And he made the mercy seate of pure golde: two cubites and a halfe was the length thereof, and one cubite and a halfe the breadth.
7 And he made two Cherubims of thicke gold, vpo the two endes of ye mercy seat.
8 One Cherub on the one end, and another Cherub on the other ende: euen of the mercy seate made he the Cherubims, namely in the endes therof.
9 And the Cherubims spread out theyr wynges aboue on hye, & couered ye mercy seate therwith: And their faces were one to another, euen to the mercy seate warde were the faces of ye Cherubims.
10 And he made the table of Sittim wood: two cubites [was] the length therof, and a cubite the breadth, and a cubite and a halfe the height of it.
11 And he ouerlayde it with fine golde, and made thervnto a crowne of golde rounde about.
12 And made therevnto an hoope of an hande brode rounde about: and made vpon the hoope a crowne of golde rounde about.
13 And he caste for it foure rynges of golde, and put the rynges in the foure corners that were in the foure feete thereof.
14 Euen harde by the hoope were the ringes into the whiche the barres were put, to beare the table withall.
15 And he made the barres of Sittim wood, and couered them with golde, to beare the table withall.
16 And made the vessels for the table of pure gold, his dishes, his [incense] cuppes, his couerynges, & his bowles to powre out with all.
17 And he made the candelsticke of pure golde, euen of a whole worke made he the candelsticke, his staffe, his braunches, his bolles, his knoppes, and his flowres were of one peece.
18 Sixe braunches proceeding out of the sides therof: three braunches of the candelsticke out of the one side thereof, and three braunches of the candelsticke out of the other side thereof.
19 And in one braunch three bolles made like vnto almondes, with a knop and a flowre: and in another braunche three bolles made like almondes, with a knop and a flowre: and so throughout the sixe braunches that proceede out of the candelsticke.
20 And vpon the candelsticke selfe, were foure bolles after the fashion of almondes, with knoppes and floures.
21 Under euery two braunches a knop of the same, and a knop vnder two braunches of the same, and a knop vnder two brauches of the same according to the sixe brauches yt proceede out of it.
22 And the knoppes and the braunches proceeded out of it: and it was all one peece of pure thicke golde.
23 And he made his seuen lampes, with the snuffers, and vessels for the snuffe, of pure golde.
24 Euen of a talent of pure golde made he it, with all the vessels therof.
25 And he made the incense aulter of Sittim wood: the length of it was a cubite, and the breadth a cubite, for it was foure square: and two cubites hye, with hornes proceedyng out of it.
26 And he couered it with pure golde, both the top and the sides therof round about, and the hornes of it: and made vnto it a crowne of golde round about.
27 And he made two rynges of golde for it [euen] vnder the crowne therof in the two corners of it, & in the two sides therof, to put barres in, for to beare it withal.
28 And he made the barres of Sittim wood, & ouerlayde them with golde.
29 And he made the holy anoynting oyle, and the sweete pure incense, after the apoticaries craft.
The Bishop’s Bible (BB)
The Bishop’s Bible (BB) is a significant English translation of the Bible that was first published in 1568 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. It was commissioned by the Church of England as a revision of the Great Bible and as a response to the Geneva Bible, which was popular among the Puritans but contained marginal notes that were considered politically and theologically contentious by the Anglican establishment. The primary goal of the Bishop’ s Bible was to create a translation that would be more acceptable to the ecclesiastical authorities and suitable for use in Anglican churches.
One of the distinguishing features of the Bishop’s Bible is its effort to maintain a high level of accuracy and scholarly integrity while also ensuring that the language used was dignified and appropriate for public reading. The translation was undertaken by a team of bishops and other scholars, hence its name. The translators aimed to preserve the poetic and literary qualities of the original texts, drawing on previous translations such as the Tyndale Bible, the Coverdale Bible, and the Great Bible, while also incorporating their scholarly insights and linguistic refinements.
The Bishop’s Bible was notable for its large, folio format, which was designed to be read from the pulpit. It included extensive marginal notes, though these were more restrained and less controversial than those found in the Geneva Bible. The translation also featured elaborate illustrations and maps, as well as a comprehensive introduction and various prefaces that provided context and guidance for readers. Despite its grandeur and scholarly merit, the Bishop’s Bible did not achieve the widespread popularity of the Geneva Bible among the general populace.
Although the Bishop’s Bible played an essential role in the religious and cultural life of Elizabethan England, it was eventually overshadowed by the King James Version (KJV), which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611. The KJV drew heavily on the Bishop’ s Bible, as well as other earlier translations, but ultimately surpassed it in both scholarly rigor and literary quality. Nonetheless, the Bishop’s Bible remains an important milestone in the history of English Bible translations, reflecting the theological and political currents of its time and contributing to the development of subsequent translations.